Sprinter firefight in Tour Down Under.

We’re about to see a mano-a-mano sprinto like we haven’t even seen in the Giro or Tour de France in a while.

A dentally-perfect Mark Cavendish who will be as motivated as possible this early in the season to smack down a particular German fast man.

A healthy Tyler Farrar with a super strong lead-out train to take on the Manxman when the American doesn’t have the fractured wrist he endured in the Tour de France.

A man with a mission in Andre Greipel who’s out to show the cycling world he’s as fast as his former HTC-Highroad teammate Cavendish. The two dumped all over each other last season and had to be put in separate cages like two angry pit-bulls.

Yes, the Rostock Rocket brings his own Omega Pharma Druga high speed train to the Aussi tour and having won the overall twice, he’s hyper-driven to do well. This is the man who was winning spring in backwaters like Turkey, Austria and Poland while Cavendish hogged the big French stage and scored all the headlines. Greipel is rabid dog crazy to have a shot at the Brit.

This sprint war is almost as exciting as hanging with photographer Daniel Geiger while he shoots the next Cyclepassion calendar or riding along side the girl having a bike orgasm. But wait, there’s more smart shoppers. The Sheriff is coming down under. Quick step, even faster pedal Francesco Chicchi will rev up his engines for battle. Last season he nailed Cavendish in a Tour of California sprint while the Manxman was still recovering from his dental nightmare.

That’s an embarrassment of speed and the potential chaos that creates in the final 1000 meters will be must-see TV. Controlling these sprints will be a maddening and monumental task for a team and that’s when the fifth and six guy springs a surprise.

Even Alexander Kristoff of BMC Racing Team is talking a little smack before the TDU. “If it all works out, I can beat him,” Kristoff told Procycling.no. “If he thinks too much about Andre Greipel, for example, I can have a chance.” Good luck with that, buddy.

Now, if we can just turn back the clock six years for Rockin’ Robbie McEwen, we might just die of anticipation. Life is good, races loom, we’ve got holiday cycling gear in the closet and the Tour Down Under is packed with A list sprinters.